Fallout: No Man's Land
by MojoTheSpaceMonkey
Summary: The Pacific North Wasteland never was given the chance at recovery that the other regions of the United States enjoyed. Super Mutants hunted anyone they could find to further Project Unity. What happens when they attack Vault 10 and bite off more than they can chew? Rated M because its Fallout, enough said. First Person O/C


Fall Out: No Man's Land

Chapter 1: So You Think You're S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

 _Albert Einstein once wrote: I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. The first two World Wars gained their titles by involving numerous countries from across the globe, joining together to fight for nationalistic ideals in some cases and to stop atrocities in others. The Third World War started out simply as a dispute between only two countries, who just happened to be super powers. The United States and China competed heavily to obtain the diminishing resources that both of their economies were founded on. It finally came to a head when China invaded and occupied Alaska in the winter of 2066 to claim the oil fields. After years of fighting, the United States was able to evict the enemy forces from its soil and followed up with invading mainland China. Canada was annexed by the United States during the war, fully becoming part of America._

 _Tensions finally grew too high and on the morning of October 23rd, 2077, the world was bathed in nuclear fire. The east coast of the United States was bombarded in the first wave of missiles, barely giving the US leadership enough time to launch thiers in return and send up their bombers. The rest of the world's nations followed suit. No one knows who launched first but the end result was an entire planet burned to ash and smoke._

 _This did not result in the end of humanity as was so commonly predicted though. Some were locked into underground vaults, safe from the hellish inferno on the surface. Other's found less adequate shelter where ever it was available, be it in military facilities, subways, concrete buildings, or even basements of houses. They were spared the fires of war but had to learn to live in a world that had been bathed in nuclear radiation. Some poor souls were so heavily irradiated that they were transformed into ghouls, gifted with eternal life even as their bodies rotted around them and slowly descending towards insanity as they consumed more and more radiation. Many species died off due to the brutal conditions while others rose to prominence as they survived and thrived in the new environments._

 _The remaining population of the United States devolved to tribal lifestyles, trusting only those around themselves and treating everyone else as enemies. This continued for decades until civilization began to return to the waste. The NCR began to resettle New California and Nevada, bringing its laws and taxes along for the ride. Meanwhile Caesar's Legion cut a bloody swath over the southern and midwest states, absorbing, enslaving, or destroying every tribe it came across on it's march west until it was defeated by Courier 6 and the NCR at Hoover Dam in the Mojave Wasteland. The east coast was beginning to come alive as well. The Brotherhood of Steel made itself a new home in the Capital Wasteland, helping The Lone Wanderer to drive off the super mutants and Enclave and bringing back fresh water. The Institute was driven from the Commonwealth by the Sole Survivor and the reestablished Minute Men. Even complete shitholes like The Pitt and the tribal lands of Zion Canyon experienced a renaissance of sorts as the elements that kept them ground down were overthrown and people began to improve their lives again._

 _Not all of these happy endings occurred without consequence though. When the Vault Dweller defeated the Master and scattered the super mutants, the threat did not end. Orders had already been given for the mutants to continue on with the Unity project in the mountain ranges of the northwest. The Pacific North Wasteland became the hunting ground for these beasts. The NCR set up a heavy presence on its northern border to ensure the security of its citizens. What happened outside of their territory wasn't their concern, there was enough to deal with at home already._

 _The PNW quickly became a no man's land, with no one entering and no one leaving. New Eugene in Southern Oregon being the first settlement to be completely wiped out as it's population was carried away to be turned in the mutants' mountain fortresses. It was the breaking point for many residents who already had to deal with famine, radiation, and violence from their fellow man. Fledgling population centers in the entire region that had the potential to become real cities emptied out practically overnight, their residents retreating back to the forests and hills to hide from the mutant raiding parties. The new rules were quickly established for staying alive. To large a group would cause you to get targeted by the mutants. Fighting other groups would bring attention to themselves, causing a raiding party to hit them while they were at their weakest. You never possessed anything you couldn't pack up quickly and move with incase the mutants hit you._

 _Not all of humanity experienced such hardship though. As previously mentioned, some of humanity's finest were locked into vaults deep underground. Stored away in safety to prepare for the day that they are allowed to resurface and begin to rebuild society. One such location was Vault 10, built into the Cascades mountain range beneath Snoqualmie Pass. There, the best and brightest military figures from the region's surrounding military bases as well as leading scientists and their families live as they work toward a brighter future… a future with Vault Tec._

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I was on my feet before my brain even processed that I was fully awake, my body going through the motions of getting dressed and cleaning my bunk area. The final notes of reveille still echoing from the speakers as I grabbed my toothbrush and made my way towards the bathroom. I noticed a few of the others moving in the same direction, but most of them were still working on tying their boots. The disparity between the children of the military and the scientists never was more evident than moments like this. My father, Joel Magnus, always said you could see who was taught to consider each action first before acting compared to those that allowed themselves to become mindless automatons from training. Considering he was one of the leading researchers in the vault, I could see why he tended to be a little biased. He did work hard to ensure I always considered my actions first though. Luckily for me, my mother, Kristen Magnus, happened to be a two star general herself and trained me to think fast and act even faster as the situation called for. This always left me little isolated from my peers since I could identify with both of the groups, the eggheads and grunts as they referred to each other.

All of these thoughts processed through my head as I made my way across the bay to the bathroom. I grabbed the sink in the corner to give myself a little extra elbow room as the others began to pack into the small space. I took a moment to check myself in the mirror as I brushed my teeth, my reflection showing a pale white fourteen year old boy with light brown hair staring back at me. I had to admit I looked pretty unremarkable as far as looks went, not to good looking, but far from ugly. I did enjoy the fact that I was finally starting to show a good bit of muscle though from the months of PT that we were being put through. They weren't bulging or anything, but flexing my neck clearly showed the tendons and muscles connected to my shoulders.

My self examination was rudely interrupted as I was put in a headlock and thrown back from the sink. By the time I was able to right myself, the empty spot had already been filled by the two familiar bodies of Nikki and Jessica, my self appointed best friends. They were twin half black, half latina girls who were already smarter than most adults I knew. Their parents had been good friends with mine for longer than I've been alive. The twins had latched onto me from the moment we met as toddlers, always fighting over who got to play with me. I had planned on having to separate from them when we were all sent to basic training after turning thirteen since they put boys and girls in separate groups, but they still found chances like this to mess with me when we all came together in the bathroom or chow hall. They were like the sisters I never had, being an only child. As I picked myself up I couldn't help but reflect on how different they had started to look. I hadn't been exposed to women that much over the previous year but even I could tell that the twins would be beautiful in the future considering how their bodies were already starting to change. Considering how many of the guys were sneaking looks at them as well, I knew I wasn't the only one to notice.

None of this mattered though as I knew we were about to run out of prep time and I didn't want to be late to the morning briefing. The girls were both half a head taller than me, something they never stopped pointing out, but I had them beat already in bulk. I reached up and snapped open both of their training bras through their shirts, causing them to squeal in outrage as they reared back. I ducked an elbow flying towards my head, squeezing forward to spit out my toothpaste and rinse my toothbrush. A quick pinch to the side caused Nikki to stop her counterattack long enough for me to slip away. I sprinted to my locker, stowing my cleaning items and using the small mirror to adjust my vault tec uniform that had been rumpled in the fight. I made for the briefing room, arriving with a few minutes to spare. Ironically the rest of the grunts had already arrived, all of them giving me frowns like they expected better from me before turning to face forward again as I joined them.

I was glad I ran today as out drill instructor arrived five minutes early. "Be seated" Sergeant Jackson grunted as he stalked towards the front of the room to loom over us. The man was only five foot ten, yet he always seemed to fill almost the whole room with his presence no matter how high the ceiling was. He glanced up as the rest of the recruits arrived in a group, his eyes narrowing as they looked from him to the clock on the wall in confusion. "The rest of you can stand against the back wall now that you've decided to grace us with your presence."

"But we're on time!" one of the recruits started to protest, only to be cut off as the sergeant seemed to fly across the room to stand over him only inches away. The others shrunk back, leaving the boy to handle the confrontation on his own as they slunk towards the indicated wall.

Jackson followed them with his eyes before turning his full attention back to his victim. "So you think you're on time do you?" he asked in an almost conversational tone. At the hesitant nod, he continued as his voice slowly lowered. "Even though you're given more than enough time, you intend on using every second of it and not leaving anything for accidents that may arise?" He shoved the recruit with his hand, causing the boy to fall to the ground. With a grunt he placed his boot on the boy's chest before dragging it upwards to the underside of his chin. "Oh look! Your uniform is out of regulations now. What terrible luck! If only you allowed yourself a little extra time since SHIT HAPPENS! Now get the fuck up!" The recruit pulled himself to his feet, standing at attention as he gazed straight forwards to not make eye contact with the sergeant. Jackson turned and began to stalk back to the front of the room. "You have five minutes to straighten up your uniform recruit, and so help me you better be back here in three or I'll have you scrubbing the latrines for the rest of the day." When the boy just stared at him in confusion, he slapped his hand to his face in frustration. "That means move dumbass!"

He shook his head in disgust as the boy scuttled out of the room, before turning towards the rest of the class. "That is what happens when you don't plan for the eventualities that happen in life and on the battlefield. You inconvenience everyone else around you and quite possibly put them in danger with your selfishness and carelessness." He began to pace around the front of the room with his hands folded behind his back. "I've had you recruits for ten months already and I like what I see from some of you. You'll have a great future ahead of you in the military if you so choose and I'll be sure to give you all good recommendations." He looked back towards the fifteen boys along the back wall, his face twisting into disgust. "Some of you I'd barely trust to have my back with a weapon. Unfortunately you just can't fix stupid no matter how hard you try to. I'm sure the rest of you will find promising careers in science and maintenance and will hopefully never touch a gun in your life again." He walked towards his desk before lifting a box from behind it and placing it down. "This is the end of your basic training before you return to vault life and continue your education. Come forwards when called, then proceed back to the sleeping bay. Pack your belongings and await further instructions. Alberts!" I watched as the other boys were called forwards one by one, the eggheads receiving only a basic training ribbon, while the grunts usually earned another marksmanship ribbon as well. I was proud of the fact that I had earned the marksman award in both the pistol and combat rifle. I was looking forwards to getting to show off my two ribbons with the extra pip on it showing my achievements. I was brought out of my train of thought as I noticed that the room had begun to empty out, Sergeant Jackson having already moved on to the "T's" in the alphabetical order and not calling my name yet. He scowled as he noticed my look of confusion, indicating with a now familiar nod that I was to sit down and shut the fuck up until addressed. I sat, message received loud and clear.

My mind wandered over various scenarios of how I could have gotten in trouble as he finished up with the rest of the ceremony. As the last recruit left, he walked over and closed the door. He took off his hat and threw it on the desk as he sat down and propped up his feet. "For fuck sake Brian" he said looking over at me with a soft smile, "stop looking like a mole rat in a headlamp and come over her and sit down."

I was up in a flash, marching over to his desk before I punched him in the shoulder as hard as I could. "You suck Uncle Dave!" He was actually the twin's uncle, but always had me call him it too in the past. "I've known you since I was little and you act like you don't know me for the past ten months! What the hell!"

He shrugged as he massaged his shoulder where I had tagged him. "Sorry little man, but that's how the rules work. I'm not a family friend in here. I'm the big bad drill instructor and you needed to get the same experience as everyone else or your development would have been stunted. I can't tell you how proud I am of you though." A knock at the door caused him to look up as he sat back upright again. "Come in!" he called.

I was amazed when both of my parents and the Jackson's all walked into the room, Dad in his lab coat and Mom and the the twins' parents in their uniforms. The next thing I knew, Dad had me in a bear hug, my feet lifting off the ground as the breath was driven from my body. "It's about damn time you came home" he mumbled into my hair. "We all missed you son."

"Joel" Mom called from the door, "let him go now. He's still a recruit until the ceremony ends and he needs to follow proper decorum. My father huffed before putting me down and stepping back to the others. I took a moment to gather myself and straighten back to attention as my mother and the Jacksons marched into the room.

"This one's something special ma'am" Sergeant Jackson said from behind me. I startled as I hadn't even heard him move. "He took everything we threw at him and excelled." They exchanged salutes before he placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"I expected nothing less" Mom said as I gave her my best salute. She returned it before leaning down and kissing me on the forehead. "Are you ready to come home recruit?"

"I sure am General Mom, ma'am" I couldn't help myself as I remained standing at attention. A smack upside the head was the reply I received as the others laughed.

A throat clearing drew everyone's attention to the door. The Overseer stepped into the room, his Vault 10 jumpsuit cleaned to perfection with four stars pinned to each shoulder designating his rank to all. Everyone besides my father came to attention as he strolled up to us with a grin on his face as he caught the end of the family moment. "You have them?" he asked as he arrived in the middle of the group. Sergeant Jackson handed him something before returning to position behind me. He reached out, shaking my hand in a firm grip. "Great job Recruit Magnus, I'm expecting big things from you in the future." He opened the package revealing three ribbons. "This is to prove you completed basic training" he said as he attached the first ribbon to my chest. He moved to do the same with the second, "This is to show just how good a shot you are." He pointed at a specific one on his own chest, "It's nice seeing someone else match up to my record." It turned out he had the same pip showing he qualified in both guns as well, which was really cool when I thought about it. "And this" he said pulling out the third ribbon, "is to show that you graduated with honors at the head of your class. Wear it with pride. From what I hear, the rest of your year mates all follow your example on how to act and what they should achieve to." I couldn't help but feel a tear welling up from pride as he pinned it on, though no one pointed it out. "I'll see you all at the ceremony" he said as he headed back out of the room.

"We all should go too so we can get some good seats. Great job Brian, we'll see you later today" Ms Jackson said, giving me a quick hug before heading out the door with her husband.

"See you at home champ" Dad said as he was pulled out the door by Mom.

Uncle Dave gave me a light shove towards the door. "Go get all of your stuff packed up. We clear out of this bay today. I'll see you at the ceremony."

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I sat in my chair in the second row of recruits as we watched the Overseer climb the platform to the microphone. There were five rows of us, each one twenty five seats long. The rest of the gymnasium was filled with our families and friends to watch the ceremony. I never really appreciated just how big my recruiting class was until I saw all of us sitting together as we waited to graduate. I had received plenty of strange looks for the third ribbon I had on, though one of the recruits with military parents recognized it and congratulated me. That set off a round of whispers that hadn't died down yet. I looked down the row to see the twins staring a hole through me. Nikki blew me a kiss and gave me a wink while Jessica scowled at me and drew her thumb across her throat. I sat back in my seat strangely unsettled, unsure of where that fell on the good/bad scale. My eyes returned to the stage as the Overseer began to speak.

"Good afternoon recruits!" he greeted, causing all of us to stand at attention. "I see you've been trained well. Hopefully you've been told the reason we all are required to take it." At the confused looks he received, he elaborated. "There are over two thousand and five hundred souls in this vault and we are responsible for the safety of all of them. Everyone knows how to defend themselves and work together so no emergency will ever stop us from pulling together. That is how we will survive when we finally resettle out there" he pointed towards the ceiling "as a team, and as a family."

"For some of you, this is only the first step towards a career in the military. For others, this will be your last day in the service and they will support the vault in other ways. All of you will attend school for the next few years and take the GOAT so we can find out what the best place for you in the vault will be. Now go forth and make us proud of you!"

We all threw our uniform caps in the air in celebration before congratulating each other and heading back to our families. Finally life would return back to normal. I noticed the twins heading for me and ran like hell.

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"Holy Fuck! I can't believe how boring this crap is!" I almost choked on my muffin as I laughed at Jessica's comment as she sat down next to me in the cafeteria. Nikki slapped me on the back as she took the seat on my other side. I wiped away my tears as I tried to bring my breathing back under control. The twins grinned unrepentantly at my scowl as they dug into their food.

I wiped the crumbs off of my chemistry textbook as I watched them make pigs of themselves. "How can someone so beautiful eat so disgustingly?" I mumbled as I watched the scene. "It boggles the mind." I was a full head and shoulders taller than them now that we were eighteen. I hadn't stopped my growth spurt until I was almost six foot two and my dad said I still may have an inch or two left to grow before I'm done. It was ironic that the twins hadn't grown much past five foot four before they started growing out instead. I sure as hell called it back then though on how they would turn out. Heads turned when ever they went by and I couldn't think of a single guy our age that hadn't tried to get a date with them at least once. Not that I didn't run interference on some of the pushy ones. No one disrespects my sisters in all but name. The annoying part was that I still had yet to get a date myself, the girls all acted nice to me but kept their distance like I was off limits or something. I'd always get turned down nicely when ever I'd ask one of them to go out. It was frustrating as hell.

We had just finished our last exams for school, the rest of the day free while the lower grades finished their testing. The girls pulled straight A's of course. The whole thing had been a cake walk for them. I know for a fact that they studied more difficult subjects on their off time. Dad was so proud of them I felt like accusing them of trying to replace me. I had to work my ass off in getting my 4.0 average, Mom accepting nothing less but perfection from me. It didn't help that I always had eyes on me, comparing me to the rest of my class and seeming to hold me to a higher standard. It always felt like I could get away with less than anyone else but I didn't want to be the one to complain so I bit my tongue.

"Be happy" I said as I nudged Jessica's shoulder with my own. "All we have left is the GOAT and you won't be held back with everyone else any more. I already know you're both heading for the science route, and Dad is keeping his eye out for when you're able to join his team. Life is good for you two."

"Thanks Brian" Jessica said as she laid her head against my shoulder, nuzzling her nose into my arm. "I'm honestly not worried for us though, I just don't know what is going to happen to you and I hate it."

"I know right!?" Nikki said as she grabbed my other arm, holding it to her chest as she leaned forward to look at her sister. I blushed at the contact but tried to pretend as if nothing was happening. "Brian, you can do anything you want to with your grades and basic training scores. Why can't you just pick something like some of us are?"

I leaned back, folding my hands behind my head as I contemplated my response. Blowing it off with a joke wasn't going to fly this time. "I honestly don't know what I want to do yet. Nothing has jumped out at me yet that appears interesting at all. The military seems a little too rigid for what I want out of life, while science just seems so… boring." I cringed at their scowls, aware that I was treading on thin ice. "You know what I meant so stop getting so worked up. I just have trouble sitting in one place for two long and I can't imagine sitting all day doing experiments and running numbers. That seems like a living hell to me. I'm taking the GOAT so I can hopefully get an idea of some maintenance job I'll be qualified in that will let me move around and stay active."

I looked the cafeteria at all the different people eating and talking. Some of them wore military hats and carried weapons, some had on white lab coats that held various instruments and pens, while even more had on utility belts with various tools for different jobs. What they all had in common though was that they wore a blue vault utility suit under it with a large yellow 10 on the back as well as their medals on their chest over their heart. It felt good knowing that no matter what people did in life, they all had that in common to bring them together. As I came out of my thoughts, I noticed that more than a few guys were scowling at me as the twins hung at off my sides while they had a conversation. "Girls?" I said softly, stopping their debate about where I should end up. "You don't need to worry about this, I'll still be there to protect you no matter what. Now I think I better clear out of here before someone picks a fight with me because you two are with me again. You'd think they'd figure out that were family by now" I huffed as I rolled my eyes.

The twins shared a look before Nikki's elbow drove into my stomach and Jessica's hand met the back of my head. "I swear Brian" Nikki said as they stood up together, almost in synchronisation. "You have to be the dumbest smart person I ever met." They walked off together not even registering the multitude of eyes following them as they went.

I rubbed the sore spot on the back of my head before gathering my things and picking up the trays the twins left behind as well as my own. "What the fuck is their problem" I mumbled to myself as I made my way out.

XXXXX

"Ok ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the infamous GOAT" Mr Johansen said as he stood at the front of the room. The man held a thick stack of papers that looked intimidating from where I sat near the back. "This is the advanced class so I know you won't have any problems with this thing but do we have any questions before we begin?" "Yes Brian?"

I was the only one to raise my hand, most of the class turning to look at me as they wondered what I could possibly want to know. "Is this job permanent for the rest of our lives, or are we able to switch when we want to try something new?" I asked. "I can't imagine anyone enjoys doing the same thing forever unless they're passionate about it." The class turned towards Mr. Johansen, eager to hear his response.

"You're the first one to ask that in the five years I've been doing this" he said with a chuckle. "Not too many actually care to worry about something that far away in their life. Yes you can change jobs. I used to be a power plant technician myself. But it's not an easy process. There's quotas that need to be filled in each career and the GOAT's purpose is to help fill them. If you shift out a job, then there's a gap in the quota that will need to be filled with an incoming student. You also can't switch to a job that doesn't have a vacancy. You'll get more details later if you need them. Anyone else? Good, lets begin."

He walked down the isles, giving each student a test booklet that was labeled with their name. He sat back down after we all had our tests, before starting a timer. "You all may begin. You have twenty minutes. If you get stuck on a question, skip it and come back to it later."

I broke the seal on the booklet, opening it to the first page. It was blank. So was the second page. I looked around the room, seeing others obviously filling out answers to questions on their paper. The third and fourth pages were blank too. "What the fuck..." I mumbled. Was someone playing a joke on me? Everyone was still filling out their answers.

"Please keep your eyes on your own test" Mr Johansen called out, staring a hole through me. I looked back down at my test booklet with a frown before going through all of the blank pages one by one. The final page was the only one with a question on it.

 _Mr Magnus,_

 _You have been selected to be a key part of the main project that this vault has supported for centuries. You will not be able to discuss this with anyone not already cleared with the knowledge. Do you wish to proceed? Yes [ ] No [ ]_

My thoughts were interrupted as Mr Johansen called out "Thirty seconds left!" I quickly checked yes and made sure once again that there wasn't anything else in the book. "And DONE!" he called out before picking up the booklets. "Now come up as I call you and we'll discuss your new positions."

Some were ecstatic about their new jobs, the twins included. When they found out they were going to be scientists, they gave each other a huge hug before doing a little happy dance and rushing out of the room. Not all of them went so well though. One girl was in hysterics after finding out that she would be the new sewer technician for the vault. The only way Mr Johansen was able to talk her down was by reminding her that no job was permanent if she didn't want it to be. It was just my luck that I was the last one to be called, meaning I got to watch the all of the drama. "Mr Magnus." I was called to the front of the class, standing at ease before the Mr Johansen's desk. It was funny how even years later, some of the military functions and mannerisms still made it into my everyday life. He opened my booklet, frowning as he flipped through the pages before recording my only answer into his computer and printing something out. "I'm sorry about calling out at you earlier" he said in way of apology. "If I had know how strange your GOAT was I would have completely understood how you were acting. This is all that has been entered in for your 'job'" he said using finger quotes before handing me the slip of paper. "Good luck Brian."

"Thank you sir" I said as I turned to leave. I took a look at the note, seeing only one line of text on it. _Proceed to room H-25 as soon as possible and await further instructions_. 'Yeah, because that doesn't sound ominous at all' I thought to myself as I left to find the room. It ended up being a floor down from the overseer's office in an isolated part of the vault that smelled strongly of disinfectant. I walked into the room, only to find a single chair in it. Not knowing what else to do, I sat down to wait for what came next. A moment later, the lights turned off, plunging the room into total blackness. A projector turned on overhead, turning the wall in front of me into a giant screen.

"Congratulations Vault Dweller!" it announced as a picture of the Vault Boy appeared giving me the thumbs up. "You are the best of the best that the vault has to offer and have been chosen to receive the fruits of all of our labor here." A group of Vault Boys wearing lab coats and military gear smiled at me and waved for me to join them before entering a room. Inside was another Vault Boy on a surgical table, smiling and giving the thumbs up while surrounded by doctors. "You have been chosen to host an AI in your brain to help you with everyday tasks." The doctors cut open the back of the Vault Boy's head and inserted a microchip. The screen faded out before showing the same Vault Boy with a bandage on his head. He smiled at the camera before jumping over a high obstacle and dodging through a few attackers. It then showed him typing quickly on a keyboard and talking to a group of individuals at the same time. "You'll still be able to do everything you could before, only better now as your AI helps you every step of the way! Thank you for supporting your vault!"

The screen turned off and the lights came back on revealing the Overseer standing in the corner of the room. He pulled a chair over and sat down a few feet away from me as he tried to look as relaxed as possible. "We need to talk before you accept this" he said as he leaned forward. "Listen very carefully because there isn't any going back once you do it." I gulped and nodded as I maintained eye contact. A stray thought went through my head noticing that I was as tall as him now. "This is something that we've only had done to six individuals in the two hundred plus years of the vaults existence. This for two reasons. The first is that certain criteria have to be met. You have to be academically gifted as well as having the strength and charisma to make a good military man. That is incredibly tough to achieve. The second reason is that this is dangerous and we don't like wasting our talent. Out of the six individuals, only one of them survived for more than a few years."

'Well damn' I thought to myself, leaning back and exhaling slowly at that bit of news. This prospect was looking less and less worth it. "What was it that killed them?" I asked, wanting, needing to know more.

The overseer shrugged, surprisingly calm about the subject matter. "It was something different every time. When we detected a flaw, we worked extensively to fix it before the next try. The first one died because his personality merged with the AI, making it paranoid and violent. The second took up too much of the bioelectricity in the body and the third overheated the brain. The fourth worked a little too well and the user developed a god complex leading him to making rash decisions. The fifth one is still alive but the AI isn't set to survive for too much longer and they've grown dependant on each other. You'll meet him if you decide to go through with it. We've addressed all of these issues and hope we've finally hit stability but won't know for sure unless we test it."

"So how long do I have before its irreversible?" I wanted to know. It was always nice to know if I had options.

He sighed, "Immediately."

It was dangerous I know but so tempting at the same time. In the end it came down to a simple question. Do I settle for a mediocre life that I know I won't ever fully enjoy down here, or take a chance and try for something truly extraordinary? "I'll do it." I said. "When does it happen"

"Now" he replied. The lights went out again and I felt a needle pushed into my thigh as

something burning was injected into me. After that, I knew no more.

 _A/N: Sorry to anyone waiting on new chapters of my other stories. I've been fighting through a serious case of writer's block and this story was to help with it. There should be new chapters coming out soon for all of my work._


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